Rowel Friers (1920-1998)
, Rowel Friers' autobiography (1994)]] '''Douglas Carson Rowel Boyd Friers', born Belfast, 13 April 1920, died Holywood, County Down, 21 September 1998, was a cartoonist, illustrator, painter and lithographer. Friers grew up in the Lagan Village area of Belfast. He was apprenticed to the Belfast lithographic firm S. C. Smith and Co, and studied at the Belfast College of Art from 1935 to 1942. He began publishing his cartoons in the 1940s, concentrating on political cartooning with the advent of the "Troubles" in the late 1960s. His work appeared in Punch, the Radio Times, London Opinion, the Daily Express, the Sunday Independent, Dublin Opinion, The Northern Whig, The News Letter, The Irish Times and The Belfast Telegraph. Aside from cartooning, Friers was a leading figure in the Ulster Watercolour Society, and his oil paintings hang in the National Portrait Gallery, the gallery of the Ulster Museum, and many other collections. He illustrated more than 30 books, including John Pepper's Ulster dialect books and an American edition of the works of W. B. Yeats. He was a keen actor and television performer, with a talent for mimicry, serving as President of the Ulster Association of Drama Festivals and appearing regularly on chat shows. He was awarded the MBE in 1977. He was President of the Royal Ulster Academy of Arts from 1993 to 1997. His funeral was attended by a large crowd, including politicians from both sides of the sectarian divide - the SDLP's Lord (Gerry) Fitt and the DUP leader, the Reverend Ian Paisley. He was married to Yvonne Henderson and had two sons. Our Flying Foes.jpg|''Our Flying Foes'', 1950 public health booklet Riotous living.jpg|''Riotous Living, 1971 Book of friers.jpg|The Book of Friers, 1973 Friers.gif|Cartoon from ''The Irish Times, 1981 On the borderline.jpg|''On the Borderline, 1982 Trouble free.jpg|Trouble Free, 1988 Bibliography Autobiography * ''Drawn from Life (1994) Collected cartoons * Wholly Friers (1948, introduced by John Hewitt) * Mainly Spanish (cartoons from Dublin Opinion, 1951) * Riotous Living (1971) * Pig in the Parlour (1972) * The Book of Friers (1973) * The Revolting Irish (1974) * On the Borderline (1982) * Trouble Free (1988) Illustrated *''Our Flying Foes'', public health booklet (1950) *''Ulster Folklore'' by Jeanne Foster Cooper (1951) *''My Friend Specs McCann'' by Janet McNeill (1955) *''A Pinch of Salt'' by Janet McNeill (1956) *''A Light Dozen'' by Janet McNeill (1957) *''Specs Fortissimo'' by Janet McNeill (1958) *''This Happy Morning'' by Janet McNeill (1959) *''Special Occasions'' by Janet McNeill (1960) *''Various Specs'' by Janet McNeill (1961) *''Try These for Size'' by Janet McNeill (1963) *''A Brew of Witchcraft'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd (1964) *''The Beedy Book'' by Wendy White (1965) *''Ghost Stories Round the World'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd (1965) *''Moonshine and Magic'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd (1967) *''Exploring Coins'' by Benjamin Patrick (1968) *''Starlight and Spells'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd (1969) *''The Obstinate Ghost and Other Ghostly Tales'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Noel Lloyd (1972) *''Journey by Broomstick'' by Geoffrey Palmer and Sana Silcock (1976) *''A Quare Geg'' by John Pepper (1979) *''John Pepper's Ulster-English Dictionary'' by John Pepper (1981) *''Catch Yerself On'' by John Pepper (1988) *''Ulster Haunbook'' by John Pepper (1999) External links * Rowel Friers gallery at Windows to Ireland * Obituary from The Independent * Royal Irish Academy Past President Online reference *Princess Grace Irish Library Category:Creators F Category:Belfast creators Category:PGIL Category:DIB Category:Cartoonists Category:Biographical Dictionary of Irish comics, cartooning and illustration